French Empire Patinated and Gilt Bronze Figural Clock, the face signed "Vaillant a Paris," for Louis Jacques Vaillant, the round, white enamel face enameled with Roman numeral chapters and Arabic numbers on the quarter hour positions, set into rectangular case, over cast gilt scenes in low relief, of Diana the Huntress between falcons amidst hunting trophies, the whole surmounted by the gilt bronze figure of Diana with bow and horn, flanked by a seated dog and deceased fowl, over scrolling foliate appliques.
{Approximate dimensions: 21 1/2" H. x 17 1/4" W. x 7 3/8" D.}.
Louis-Jacques Vaillant (Maître, 1787, D. after 1817), recorded at Rue du Four St-Honoré in 1789, Rue de la Tixeranderie in 1800 and Rue de la Verrerie from 1812 to 1817 (Tardy, Dictionnaire des Horlogers Français, Paris, p. 625; J.-D. Augarde, Les Ouvriers du Temps, Geneva, 1996, p. 404).
Glass door revealing clockworks now absent. Wear, loss to gilt areas, on stepped base in front of the right foot of the figure. Minor surface wear and scratches to gilding; some pitting to plaque relief; mid area of bow has a short crack. Light scratches to dial between 4 and 5 o'clock; and again from 6 o'clock in toward dial center. Has key. Please contact the Furniture and Decorative Arts Department for a detailed condition report on this lot.
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Daniel M. (Wygold) Mitchell Estate. Mr. Mitchell was a Naval Officer and an entrepreneur. Serendipitously, Lieutenant Commander Dan Mitchell transferred to the Naval Reserve where he joined VR-872 – a Navel transport squadron out of the Alameda Naval Air Station that Michaan’s is located on now. He and his wife, Paris, loved to travel and made it a point to travel to Paris twice a year, and always brought back beautiful and interesting items. His collection covers the spectrum from noted painters to precise metal aircraft and automobile models. Michaan’s is honored to be offering this collection over the next four months. The September collection includes artists Greg Gandy, Paul Charles Chocarne-Moreau, Giulio Rosati, and Marcel Brunery to name a few. Along with a variety of Empire and Empire Style Gilt Bronze Figural clocks, period military helmets, marble busts, bronze and gilt brass urns, and complex models of military ships and aircraft.
Parallels: for the engraved panels, see an automaton clock sold at Michaan's, June 12, 2025, lot 5088.
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